Late fall and early winter are some of the best times to catch giant smallmouth bass from lake erie. After two days of fishing for walleyes and pike during a spring warm trend, the water temperature finally hit the magic 55 mark in the shallow bay near camp. Five best early season smallmouth bass flies murrays fly shop. The smallmouth were plentiful too, red eyes alight with lust and hunger. By mike gnatkowski bass guide gerry gostenik knows exactly when smallmouth are going to invade the shallows and be susceptible to suspending jerk baits. Bait crayfish, minnows, hellgrammite fished on a jighead or a light wire hook drifted on the bottom or under a bobber. This of course is directly related to water temperature. Search with reaction baits once those water temps get up to that prespawn temperature.
Garrett paquette explains his three favorite baits for early season smallmouth fishing just as the ice melts off of northern lakes. Another successful michigan tournament pro, jonathan vandam jvd prefers michigans bigger smallmouth bass waters in the spring and his favorite early season bass spot is grand traverse bay. Another bait that catches early season smallmouth bass wherever they swim is the traditional leadheaded jig and twistertailed grub combo. If youre like me, you want to start fast to make up for slow, lateiceout years. It is also why finesse lures are very popular in smallmouth fishing. My first 20inch smallmouth bass came from such a stream, more years ago than i care to recall. Storm fronts are another great time to catch big fish.
Murrays heavy black hellgrammite size 4 shenks white streamer. Early season for big smallmouth bass union sportsmens alliance. Look below the surface more than any time of the year, in the spring it is really. A huge portion of my biggest smallmouth have come before 7 a. Learn how to catch smallmouth bass with expert tips from. Spring smallmouth river fishing tips everything smallmouth. Smallmouth bass will typically spawn when the water temperatures reach the low 60s but fish will move shallow long before. The seasonal guide is a system ive adapted to help find bass on unfamiliar waters. Five tactics for early season smallmouth the ultimate. Early season smallmouth by ajay, april 26, 2015 in fishing reports. Check out more from andy buss on his youtube channel. Three tricks to catch earlyseason smallmouth bass field. With 99% of my trophy smallmouth fisheries being located in the upper midwest and great lakes region, nearly all of my spring techniques have been honed, modified, and mastered to my specifications and angling style and work on. The spawn was mostly over and, it seemed, the spring flooding had subsided.
In early spring, prespawn smallmouth move to secondary points on their migration to spawning areas in pea gravel coves or gravel flats. Dropshotting early season smallies northern ontario travel. Im well aware that many musky anglers do well in the early morning hours, but that tends to occur in summer. Jun 03, 2014 6 easy tips for targeting early summer bass by walker smith jun 3, 2014 postspawn bass fishing is widely considered a feastorfamine season for many anglers. Jigandtwister rigs can be fished on deep, main lake flats, shallow bay flats in the 5 to 15foot range, or anywhere along the breaklines where smallmouths may be staging for the spawn. Every promising sunken log or boulder pile showed life. Garrett paquettes three favorite early season smallmouth. Spring smallmouth river fishing tips after a winter of low activity, smallmouth bass in rivers tend to become more active with every increase in water temperature. These are our top 5 lures choices for spring bass fishing. The early part of the year, which includes the prespawn, spawn, and postspawn periods, can be a great time to catch largemouths, as well as some of the biggest bass of the year.
Early smallmouth fishing starts when water temperatures rise to the low to mid 50s. Photo by kip vieth winter is the time to dream of warm summer days spent drifting down midwestern rivers and watching the countrys largest smallmouth bass attack poppers. With that, pete looked at the upcoming weather, which will 100% dictate as to whether or not he or anyone, for that matter, can travel out to the ducks. Water temperatures edged into the 60s, and the fish were feeding, as everything edible began to movecrayfish molting, fry escaping shrinking marginal pools. While fishing in 20 40 feet, all i could find were optimistic anglers hoping for a deep water bite. Ohio has traditionally offered fine fishing for largemouth bass in its many lakes, rivers and reservoirs. How mike mcclelland turns cold water fish into a hot bite. Early season smallmouth on americas first national river. Thats the best time of year to catch the true giants, says jvd. In the warmer months, many big smallmouth will only come shallow to feed in low. Early season smallmouth at last the water temperature was right for smallmouths. Prespawn largemouth and smallmouth will often stage in rocky slopes or flats in relatively deep water 2030 feet.
Longeared sunfish, better dressed for autumn than spring, zipped in angry flashes, often attacking lures that wouldnt fit in their mouths. Bass fishing tips from bassmaster elite anglers and other bass fishing experts. In the warmer months, many big smallmouth will only come shallow to feed in lowlight conditions, especially the early morning. These 11 early spring bass fishing tips straight from pro bass anglers never fail to help you win big this season. Equip your boat with the megaware products that protect it, then load up on early season smallmouth bass with these expert tips. For two weeks this is the only part of the state where you can keep bass. One of the things to remember is that fish are coldblooded and when water temps are cool, warmer water. Here are six examples of good smallmouth bass lures and how to fish them. Now that we have lost an hour of sleep and the days are getting longer, its time to get after some early spring smallmouth bass. Vandam agreed to explain his allpurpose approach to bass fishing in his own words to readers. For more information on early season smallmouth fishing. The inland smallmouth bass catchandrelease season opens in midmay on the same saturday as the walleye and northern pike season.
For bass fishermen, early spring is the most wonderful time of the year. Early season smallmouth fishing reports bass fishing forums. Three tricks to catch early season smallmouth bass. The list is in order by season, basically in order of what lures work best from early spring to late fall. Yes, early smallmouths can suspend between winter and spring habitats. Early season stream smallmouth early season stream smallmouth. Mar 30, 2019 as iceout arrives, here are six spring bass fishing tips to help you catch more smallmouth and largemouth bass early in the season. Every year anglers get excited at the prospect of early spring bass fishing again. Here are mikes top 5 moves for getting your bronze on in the early season, in his own words. Ultimate guide 39 best tips to catch big smallmouth bass.
Yes, brown bass gather in depths around 20 feet at the base of breaks leading to shallow flats when driven off by cooling water, cold fronts, or intense pressure. In spring 2016, tom richardson and parker kelley sampled some of the local bass fishing with local guide hope eagleson, who runs hobie kayak fishing trips on the big lake. Prespawn bass smallmouth or largemouth frequent rocky flats or slopes not too far from their spawning hubs. Since coming over from japan in the early 2000s, the drop shot has become a staple for anglers fishing deep water.
Five best early season smallmouth bass flies murrays fly. From the first signs of spring all the way up to the spawn, these baits will produce. Whether youre fishing a pond or a giant reservoir, using these baits to locate active fish is a very effective way to catch bigger bass this spring. On the plus side, the bass are hungry and at their heaviest and on the negative side, the conditions change quickly and can be downright brutal. Pas best fishing waters biologist reports summary of pa regulations opening days and seasons fishing license agents charter boats fishing guides pa. Big smallmouth bass are very smart and hard to trick. How to catch iceout smallmouth bass in early spring field. Mar 20, 2018 he not only looks for bass on his electronics, but also for schools of yellow perch. Fish with small jerkbaits to elicit a reaction bite from one member of the school. During the prespawn and spawning periods when the water is still chilly, success with brown bass has a lot to do with patience, being methodical in your presentation. Focus on water temp one of the great things about bass is that they are predictable creatures of habit. Four baits to fool early season smallmouth once fish are found on his graph, noffsinger will offer them a variety of baits. The opening weekend of largemouth and smallmouth bass season brings a lot of people to the water hoping. Early season smallmouth with mike schultz midcurrent.
We ended up with a dozen or more over 17 inches, a great day considering it was midmarch, the water was in the mid40s and the air only slightly warmer. In this tackle tip tuesday video, brandon lester walks through three stages of. This week i sat down with michigan smallmouth guru mike schultz to learn how to start putting fat bronzebacks in the boat before the trees even start to leaf. Some of us have braved the elements and fished through the winter but with a new season, comes new. Michigan anglers look forward to the opening days of the season much like deer hunters do. Includes articles, videos, news, and forums for beginning to advanced anglers. Feb 25, 2020 best lures for early spring smallmouth bass a suspending jerkbait is a proven lure early season smallmouth bassespecially the bigger onesbut mueller mostly relies on only two lure choices. This is when most anglers are coming out of their winter hibernation, getting out on the water for the first time. Habitat warm streams and rivers with gravel bottoms. Here are the best tips, baits, and tackle for catching big spring bass. The union sportsmens alliance is a 501c3 nonprofit organization with a mission to unite the union community through conservation to preserve north americas outdoor heritage.
Best lures for early spring smallmouth bass a suspending jerkbait is a proven lure early season smallmouth bassespecially the bigger onesbut mueller mostly relies on only two lure choices. Best lures for smallmouth bass best bass fishing lures. Early season smallmouth fishing reports bass fishing. Just as the early bird gets the worm, the early angler often gets the biggest fish. Lake winnipesaukee is a boaters playground, but it also happens to offer some pretty good fishing for smallmouth bass. Kip vieth, wildwood float trips the authors son, truman, with a fine earlyseason bronzeback. It was early spring, a season when various hungers stir, my favorite season to fish. The depth of this huge great lakes bay means bass will be in prespawn mode throughout the entire catch and release season. Five tactics for early season smallmouth from ice out until post spawn these five techniques are deadly on smallmouths.
It offers a completely different look than other bottom presentations, and can be effective when many other presentations fail. But when bass school up in early spring before the spawn, you will have young buck males swimming alongside big females. Based on this success i plan to rely strongly on these for my early season smallmouth bass fishing this year. Angelo quickly concurred and gave pete his blessing, knowing just how awesome the area is for smallmouth bass, especially early in the season. If you find the perch, you are close to the smallmouth. Not only are they up shallow, but they will be feeding aggressively at this time.
Five tactics for early season smallmouth the ultimate bass. River water temperatures can change quickly depending on weather and it can be difficult to know. Late spring and early summer can be such a tremendous time to target smallmouth because fish are often shallow and relatively easy to catch. Anglers refer to this period as the prespawn or will refer to the bass as staging bass immediately before the spawning season. Smallmouth fishing tips, articles and videos everyday. To get you started off this fishing season the right way, here are three tips to locating and catching early spring bass. Smallmouth bass and rock bass goggleeye anglers often use smaller versions of the same baits and lures used for largemouth bass. Nov 26, 2017 vandam agreed to explain his allpurpose approach to bass fishing in his own words to readers. Bass fishing tips advice from elite anglers and pros. Dec 05, 2016 angelo quickly concurred and gave pete his blessing, knowing just how awesome the area is for smallmouth bass, especially early in the season. Learn how to catch smallmouth bass with expert tips from the. We guarantee its a framework you can use to get on bass quickly all year long, regardless of where youre fishing. Top 5 baits for early spring bass fishing tactical. Theyll move from deep winter holding water to structures close to a potential spawning area.
As iceout arrives, here are six spring bass fishing tips to help you catch more smallmouth and largemouth bass early in the season. Anglers visiting watts bar lake can enjoy a bonus catch of smallmouth and largemouth during spring. Brush off the cold and brush up your skills christopher smith feb 17, 20 0 as february fades and we move toward spring, many anglers come out of hibernation and get trigger happy to be back on the water. The best baits for prespawn smallies include mediumdiving crankbaits in crawfish or fire tiger hues, jigs tipped with plastic chunks and plastic grubs. It wasnt just the first smallmouth of the day, it turned out to be the biggest bass of the day, my biggest in a couple of years and a true trophy in any smallmouth river. In regions where early season bass fishing is allowed following ice out, many anglers find themselves at a standstill on where to fish and the techniques to fish with. They are missing out on some fine sport, particularly early in the spring when the biggest fish are often taken. Tips, howtos, wheretos, and whattos for river anglers chasing the hardestfighting freshwater fish around. Weve put together the best drop shot smallmouth tips to help you catch more fish this season. When we experience a normal to early iceout, i have high hopes for the coming season.
As the water gets colder, bass will start ganging up on steep slopes. Early spring, right after iceout, is the best time of the year to catch trophy smallmouth bass. How to catch iceout smallmouth bass in early spring. Fishing tubes and jigging spoons around deep rock and gravel points in 30 to 45 foot of water is a reliable approach for hooking smallies just. And the best bites for earlyseason smallmouths tend to occur shallow. Big smallmouth become stupid once they join a school. Early season for big smallmouth bass union sportsmens. The most common fishing method is casting and retrieving artificial or live baits into places where you suspect smallmouth bass are hanging out. Learn about fishing tackle, rods, reels and techniques to help you catch more bass. Lake winnipesaukee earlyseason smallmouths new england.
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